Articles

Observations on Summer

Summer is finally here and what a joy that is for us all: an opportunity to shake off the cold dreary days of winter and bask outside (suitably sun-creamed of course) on glorious sunfilled days and warm, sultry nights. It is a time when we can fully connect with the natural world, as we spend so much time wanting to be out in the lushness of the life and greenness around us.

Summer always reminds me of the heart centre for that reason- the heart being the bridge between the lower self and the higher self and summer being the mid point between the beginning of the year and the newness of spring, when all is fresh and new, and the gentle ripening of autumn and gradual decline into winter and the passing of the year.

Summer, I feel, gives us an opportunity to look at our relationship to the natural world, how we care for it, nurture it, support it, sustain it, and is comparable to how our heart centre encourages us to do the same with our relationships not only with ourselves but with those around us.

How we relate to things and to people is vital in reflecting how we relate to ourselves, and the reverse, of course is also true. John Donne, the poet once said that ‘ no man is an island’ and that is so true- we have to interact with everything round us, because all things and people are interdependent and interrelated. How much healthier, therefore to make those relationships positive and life affirming- allowing us to bask in the light of love and compassion for our planet and the people in our lives, including ourselves.

Just as the seasons have their own characteristics, and countries and continents their own ways and customs, so to do people have their own nuances and behaviours and all of these form the wonderfully diverse tapestry that we call Life. Sometimes we do not like the cold, or maybe the heat of the seasons; sometimes we do not like the cuisine, or the plumbing of a certain country!; sometimes we do not like the tone or manner of a person, or indeed ourselves and any of these can cause us to moan, to demand change, so that our individual idea of what is ‘right’ is upheld. At times like this we find ourselves at odds with the season, place or person and our heart centre begins to shut down, creating criticism, and jagged energy in its place. We all know how uncomfortable and ‘shut off’ this feels and further away from the love and balance that an open heart provides.

Perhaps, just like the green leaves of summer, and the beautiful flowers opening out to the light we too can open out our hearts in tolerance, compassion and understanding for those times, places and people (including Self) that we do not automatically bond or resonate with, and recognise that everything has its place, everything has a reason and we are all but facets of the whole.

This does not mean we have to blindly endorse everything occurring- after all it is uniqueness and diversity that makes life as colourful and as wonderful as it is- but let us demonstrate that heart-felt openness and understanding which allows our relationships, whether to seasons, places, people or self to grow and develop in a positive, life expanding way, and truly open our hearts to the light and make them places of continued growth and life.